Mitchell's gay art. The male erotic art and drawings of Mitchell and his thoughts about the artists and images that inspire him.
Mitchell's drawings depict 'Men Being Put in Their Place' and explore fetishes such as male bondage, domination and spanking.

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Sunday, 25 October 2015

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Uli

At first sight Uli of Berlin's work
might be mistaken for Tom of Finland's. He populates his pictures
with the same cops and leather men and also copies some of Tom's
distinctive poster styles and even actual imagery as in the example above (see
one of Tom's boot worship images here and notice for example the depiction of the
leather boot folds). Despite paying this homage to Tom, however,
Uli's drawing style is actually quite different, most obviously in
the faces but also the detailing of the body which is less crisply
defined than Tom's men.

There's an even more significant
difference which is also to be seen in this seemingly innocuous boot worship scene. One of Uli's leather men has his foot raised as though about to stamp
on the sub. The overall impression given by Tom's work is of a man
enjoying being submissive but Uli's sub is (literally) down-trodden
and licking boots the least onerous of his duties. It's altogether more
serious and intense.

That intensity is apparent in this
image too where the domination takes an unusually invasive form but seems to be actually driving the sexual exchange. Although we are being
kept at a distance, we are aware of an earthy intimacy here,
a sharing of deeply significant desires that goes beyond mere jerking
off. This is quite different to Tom's world where characters
sometimes seem to be detached spectators even while they are
participating (see example) and only get close in order to effect penetration.

The majority of Uli's work takes the
form of simple and uncluttered imagery, one man tormenting another,
usually with no background at all although there may be a chair or
box (as in the previous example) for the sub to perch on.

What we see
here tells us nothing about the character of these men, where they are or how they came to
be together. There does seem to be an age difference and the
older one has assumed a leather-man persona, but it has an unusually
militaristic flavour making him seem more serious, more dangerous, his
limits unknown. It's not even clear that his motive is sexual.

The
other man is totally naked, bound and gagged, he's ended up
completely helpless and isolated. There is nothing even to suggest that he is part of a leather fraternity with conventions that might confer a
degree of protection. In fact he might have been plucked off the street. Although he is excited by his rough treatment we sense that he's
become apprehensive, trying to wriggle away from that wicked riding
crop. His dominator coolly holds him in position with his foot - and carries on.

At one time 'leather' was exclusive, secret, the
unknown, inextricably linked with dangerous sex and
unpredictability. Decades of commercially driven fetish clubs (and Tom of
Finland fantasies to be fair!) have reduced it's image to near-teddy bear
status. In pictures like this, Uli gives a glimpse of the darker world
of old

That hint of pent-up violence
finds full expression in works like the one above, which though shocking is
profoundly well observed and unashamedly erotic in intent. Elsewhere, Uli shows kicking, stamping,
punching and throttling sometimes drawing blood (below). The violence is
unmitigated by any suggestion of playfulness and not simply extreme
but very direct and personal in nature, employing fists, which seems much
more shocking than that administered from a distance using a whip or
a paddle. If S&M is a genuine form of love-making, Uli tests that
theory to the limit. These are areas Tom never ventured into (at
least not in his published works) and images like this might
discomfort the most ardent fetish fan.

Uli has a good eye for depth which is
evident both in this picture and the last one. It lifts his best
images beyond Tom's work, even if his figure drawing is less sensuous
and precise than that master. The juxtapositions and acute
perspective reinforce the sense of domination, envelopment and
being trapped. But at the same time he creates a connection
between the participants, even though there is no physical contact between them, by using eye lines. This is subtly supplemented by the careful positioning of bulging crotch and ballooning leather trouser, which stirs the lust in the best traditions of 'hidden eroticism' (see label below). At this point I wonder whether men sitting
on chairs have a special erotic significance for Uli which I cannot
see.

As we saw above, in some of Uli's
imagery the borrowed 'Tom's Cop' character transforms into (or cynics
might say, reverts to being) a Nazi-style trooper. You can't fault
the effectiveness of the composition above at an artistic level but it's
hard to ignore the antecedents and associations with a world that is
neither pleasant or praiseworthy. In fact the styling seems to
deliberately reference the art and propaganda of that era.

This image is quite different in content and technique and unusual in that it features a
detailed background. I prefer this style and particularly the shorts, but the depiction of a
sleazy urinal only serves to underline the fact that most of Uli's work
does not seem sleazy at all ......

Usually captors and captives alike are immaculately dressed in leather, rubber or conventional clothing
whose tightness is the only concession to lust. (I'm not a fan of masks but this smooth, clinging example is fascinating and hugely symbolic of domination). Uli's naked bodies
are trim, clean and unblemished by tattoos and they are set against a
background which is clinically white with no evidence of corrections
or smut from the drawing process. Perhaps it's unfortunate but the
word 'purity' springs to mind. On the face of it, this seems to be
completely at odds with the intense sexuality and (necessarily messy)
sadism he portrays.

I can't explain this paradox, but at
the end of the day Uli has produced some work which is truly original
despite the superficial proliferation of Tom-like clones. It's nature
is sometimes disturbing measured by modern day yardsticks, but that's
arguably an artistic achievement, perhaps one that is more
significant to us than animals in formaldehyde.

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Sportsmen are being abducted by the Flat Cap Gang using dog collars, but leads are thin on the ground for DC Ferret as he seeks to solve the baffling case.

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About Me

Welcome to 'mitchmen' at blogger where Mitchell the gay fetish artist talks about his drawings and the erotic imagery that inspires them.
"I've been drawing since I was a teenager and it has always been an outlet for my innermost feelings and frustrations! My erotic art development was galvanised by the discovery of Tom of Finland's work and, inspired by the wealth of material on the internet, it continues to develop into diverse fetishes and occasionally gruesome interests!"